Class struggle

ED Miliband’s concern for the “squeezed middle” will be welcomed by hardworking families across Yorkshire who now struggle to balance the household budget. Their regret is that Labour’s leader failed to acknowledge that he was part of a government that “maxed out” the nation’s credit card.

That the Doncaster MP is setting up a policy commission to investigate the consequences of flat wages and rising prices can be interpreted in two ways. First, it is a tacit admission that Mr Miliband’s party needs a new financial framework if it is to regain the electorate’s trust.

Second, it is a realisation that middle-class voters hold the key to the next election and Labour recognises that elections can only be won from the centre.

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Either way, Mr Miliband has tapped into the nation’s mood. For, while the attempts by successive governments, including this coalition, to target resources at lifting families out of poverty is noble, the middle classes are being unfairly penalised as the Treasury looks to eradicate the deficit.

While every family knew this period of economic retrenchment was going to be tough, they did not appreciate that the financial consequences would be this acute – and this is before the latest spike in fuel prices and the prospect of interest rates going up.

Yet, because successive governments have deliberately targeted this section of society, there is a danger that the middle classes will simply not have enough disposal income to keep the British economy turning – and that this will have serious repercussions for the whole country.